We have a toddler, so a packet of tissues on every flat surface - coffee table, dining table, kitchen bench… and this is all one smallish open plan space!
Visual meal planning - it’s quite “arts and crafts” but I’ve printed out pictures of our favourite meals and hot glued them to magnets. These are stuck to our magnetic chalkboard which has the days of the week gridded out with spaces for lunch - dinner - notes.
I find this makes meal planning quicker than scrawling out “Tuesday: curry” on a scrap of paper (or on the chalkboard for that matter!). It’s also easy to shuffle the magnets (fried rice should go after curry night so we can make double rice…).
I designed a template in Canva (free online design program) so they’re consistent and I can overlay the name of the dish. If it’s a specific recipe, I note the book it’s from and the exact page on the back of the picture.
And from a discussion I was having with a friend who’s moving into a new space: define your decor style! This can be a complete word salad: I’m “mid century maximalism,” she’s “modern neutral.” Plug either of those terms into Pinterest/google + what you’re looking for (“modern neutral bed frame”) and it will spit out suggestions you’re into much faster than trawling through ikea! And your house will look more coherent/styled with no extra effort. If you’re tempted by any homewears etc - does this this fit with my decor style? Saves unneeded purchases.